These guys (and girl) don’t compromise.  They don’t train in health clubs and they don’t do machines.  They don’t train for hours on end and they don’t subject their bodies to the repetitive forces of “cardio sessions”.  These guys train up to 5 times per week, but for less than 1 hour each day, however, they put in 100% effort every time.  They don’t train to get rid of that giggle on the back of their arms or to have rippling six-pack abs.  They train for performance, for fun and because it’s challenging,  which in turn leaves them with firm functioning arms and rock hard abs.  They all have careers, families, and lives outside of working out.  But they don’t let their obligations compromise their workouts.  These guys have all had, or currently have injuries, however, they listen to their bodies, they don’t listen to what the general public would do.  These guys don’t compromise.  They have their nutrition dialed in.  They don’t eat fast food, sugar filled imitation yogurt, fat free milk, Lean Cuisines, and they don’t drink Vitamin Water.  They have an animal source protein with each meal and can identify their carb, protein and fat for each meal or snack.  They also aren’t scared of fat in their diet and they know that every meal needs to have a fat source and that at least 30% of their caloric intake comes from fat.  These guys have all faced challenges when it comes to preparing healthy, nutritious foods for lunch throughout the work week.  They still have their junk food items that they enjoy occasionally, but they have found that eating in the Zone can be very tasty, satisfying, and leaves them looking and feeling great.  These guys don’t compromise.  They don’t select weights in a workout that will ensure they finish the workout quickly and/or before the majority of the others in the class finish.  They use weights that will push them further than what they previously thought possible.  They do this because they will never settle, and they know that they must continue to challenge themselves to see the results they want.  They all have exercises they aren’t very good at.  These guys don’t shy away from those exercises, they face them head on, and over time, they eventually beat these exercises into submission.  While us mere mortals breathe the standard atmospheric combination of 78% nitrogen and 20% oxygen,  through their hard work and rejection of compromise, these guys have developed the ability to breathe fire.

(pictured above are my friends from CrossFit Oakland who came and did the Saturday morning class at the Sweat Shop this past weekend.  clockwise from top left – Daniel, Connor, Brandon, and Candace.)

Saturday’s WOD:

4 ROUNDS

403 meter run
8 Squat Cleans (Rx’d: Men 165#, Women 115#)
15 Pullups

results:

This entry was posted on Monday, April 20th, 2009 at 3:24 pm and is filed under Get your mind right.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.